


The Cottage

by tardisswimmingpool



Category: Good Omens (TV), Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
Genre: Ineffable Husbands (Good Omens), M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-28
Updated: 2019-07-28
Packaged: 2020-07-23 21:10:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,752
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20014855
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tardisswimmingpool/pseuds/tardisswimmingpool
Summary: Too uneasy to spend the night alone, Crowley and Aziraphale check in to a bed and breakfast run by one of the angel’s longtime collector friends. Unfortunately, there is only one bed, and the thought of sharing it brings up a lot of confusing emotions for Aziraphale.





	The Cottage

**Author's Note:**

> I started writing this a few weeks back because I was bored. I love this pairing, and I wanted to play around with their storyline. I’m still not entirely satisfied with it, and I’m a bit rusty since I haven’t written fan fiction in quite some time, but I hope you still enjoy it.

The night was still and nearly silent except for the chirping of a few crickets who had just emerged for their midnight song. Crowley and Aziraphale had departed from the Ritz after several hours of laughing and sipping champagne, and they were now in search of a venue to retire for the evening. The stress of saving the world from the apocalypse and nearly escaping death was a lot even for two supernatural entities to handle, and the sensation of their heads against a pillow and a temporary shutdown of their brains sounded divine. Normally Aziraphale would love to curl up on his sofa in the bookshop and fall asleep while reading from his collection of first edition Oscar Wilde novels, and Crowley would prefer to pass out in front of the television in his flat while watching old horror flicks, but the two decided that their usual abodes would be too dangerous to return to so soon. The wrath of both heaven and hell may had been avoided temporarily, but there was always the chance that their little body switching trick could be figured out, and the next thing they knew a line of angels and demons would be at their front doors with holy water, a pit of hellish flames, and an intention to finish what they had started. One minute the two would be there, and then they’d be gone (destroyed) faster than you could say “for heaven’s (or satan’s) sake.” Neither angel nor demon wanted to risk that. At least if they found alternative lodging, they’d be able to rest easier because they’d be harder to track. That was Crowley’s logic anyway. That and, if he was being completely honest, he didn’t want to be alone.

“So,” Crowley whipped out his car keys from his pocket. “Where do you want to go?”

“I know a lovely bed and breakfast just outside the city. An old friend of mine has been running it for years. She’s a fellow collector you see. It’s quiet and I doubt your lot would look for you there.”

“Bed and Breakfast, huh?” Crowley mumbled to himself. “Yea sounds a little too cheerful for their taste...What about you though?”

“Everyone’s still a bit shaken up by our little stunt so I’m not too worried. Besides, I know for a fact that Gabriel won’t step foot in any place where crepes are served.”

“Why’s that?”

“He’s been on a health kick even though as an angel he doesn’t have to worry about such things. He won’t even consume human food usually but he claims the temptation is there nonetheless and that temptation to him is unholy. He’s given in a couple of times over the years due to overwhelming curiosity, but he’s always regretted it. He claims it makes him appear weak in the eyes of the almighty.”

Crowley chuckled, “Heh, the great archangel Gabriel tempted by a pastry.”

“I can’t blame him though,” Aziraphale shrugged, “Crepes are delicious. Especially Jillian’s. Best crepes in England.”

“If it’s that great, the place is bound to be booked,” Crowley grinned cheekily and snapped his fingers, “but nothing a little demonic meddling can’t fix.”

Aziraphale cracked a smile. The two of them walked together in silence for awhile. Crowley had parked the Bentley a couple of blocks away from the restaurant to avoid the tight parking spaces, but Aziraphale didn’t mind. In fact, he quite liked the peaceful atmosphere. It was hard to believe that just the other day they were in the midst of a Great War with horrendous storms, otherworldly creatures, and the devil himself. Now, it seemed as if none of it had even happened. Technically, in a way, it didn’t. Adam had performed a miracle of his own by erasing the damage and changing the perceptions of the townspeople so that the events of Armageddon would be nothing more than hallucinations or remnants of a bad dream.

“It's been a pretty crazy week,” the angel muttered. 

“That’s an understatement.”

The tips of Crowley’s fingers brushed lightly against Aziraphale’s hand as they rounded a corner, and the angel couldn’t help but blush. The demon didn’t seem to notice. 

“What do you suppose will happen now?” Aziraphale asked. 

Crowley sighed and turned to look at his friend, the moonlight reflecting off his glasses. It was difficult to see through the shades but Aziraphale could still make out the sorrow in his eyes. 

“Well, when you’ve been planning for 6,000 years for the world to end, and then it doesn’t, I’d imagine you would be pretty pissed. They’re not going to just give up. You heard Gabriel, this is just a setback.”

“But what about the child...Adam. He’s human now, more or less. What will they do, create another antichrist?” 

“Who knows. After all it’s not just heaven against hell anymore. It’s bigger than that so it’s hard to say. But I suppose it’s all part of the plan,” he rolled his eyes, “the ineffable, fucking plan.” 

“The plan…”Aziraphale whispered to himself. “Do you think this whole thing was part of it,” he gestured between himself and Crowley, “you and me I mean. Not the partnership in the fight for humanity, but you know the whole angel and demon becoming friends.”

“Possibly, although I like to give ourselves a little more credit than that. Who’s to say everything has to be part of a giant chess game. Maybe this was something we did all on our own.”

“Maybe. However, if you told me that back in Eden, I wouldn't have believed it.. I’ve spent my whole life being loyal to heaven and never did I think I would willingly share a drink and socialize with a demon.”

“Nor I with an angel. Yet here we are…”

“Here we are,” Aziraphale repeated softly.

____________

The cottage was a lot smaller than Aziraphale remembered. It was actually located in Jillian’s backyard behind her home (she believed it would give her guests more privacy) and it was connected to the main house by a garden path that was beautiful this time of year. The cottage had a living room, a wash room, a small kitchen and dining area (although as a bed and breakfast, guests are encouraged to join Jillian in the main house for meals. It is really there just in case people get peckish. Jillian usually keeps the fridge stocked) and a single bedroom with a king sized bed (there was also an air mattress in the closet but it was a pain to inflate and deflate and then there was always the couch). 

“I can take the sofa,” Aziraphale offered.

“Why?” Crowley sat down on the edge of the bed, “It’s big enough for both of us.”

The angel glanced back and forth between the bed and his friend in complete disbelief. A bead of sweat formed on his brow. 

“Oh, yes, well,” he cleared his throat and pulled awkwardly on his shirt collar, “I don’t want to intrude on your personal…” 

Crowley glared at him.

Aziraphale hesitated for a moment but then proceeded to climb up and position himself near the edge of the bed- as far away from the demon as possible.

“You can’t be serious,” Crowley groaned. “What are you, a child? Do you think I have cooties?”

“Of course not. It’s just…”

“We’ve known each other six thousand years, we just faced the apocalypse together, and you still don’t trust me?”

The angel avoided eye contact. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Crowley, quite the opposite actually. He had learned in the past few days that Crowley might actually be one of the few people he could trust. However, the idea of sharing a bed brought up a bunch of confusing emotions that he wasn’t prepared to deal with. They weren’t bad per say, just different. He didn’t know how to explain it, but it was more than he wished to reveal at that current moment in time, so he settled on the obvious response. 

“You’re still a demon.”

“Yea, and I’m a very tired and cranky one at that,” his friend rolled his eyes, “Look, I’ll put up a pillow barrier if it bothers you that much. Just shut up and position yourself like a normal person.”

The angel reluctantly moved closer. 

“Goodnight, angel.”

“Goodnight.”

Aziraphale stared up at the ceiling and sighed. He could already hear the soft rumble of Crowley’s snoring from the other side of the pillows. The demon wasn’t joking when he said he was tired. It had only been two seconds and here he was completely knocked out which must’ve been some sort of record. The angel watched him for a moment, admiring how peaceful and, dare he say, beautiful he looked. His heart fluttered. 

“Oh no,” he quickly shifted his gaze. 

Suddenly he was reminded of why he had been so adamant about keeping his distance from Crowley all these years. It wasn’t just because of their respective head offices. After all, they didn’t matter anymore. It was something else, something that terrified him even more than the powers of heaven and hell combined. 

“No, no, no,” he thought to himself. “I can’t be…”

Love was something that angels knew quite a lot about. After all, they were beings of love, and it is practically in their job description to love everyone and to spread peace and tranquility. That was what Aziraphale had always been taught, and that is what he had always believed. However, what he thought of as love and how he felt about Crowley didn’t match up. 

Angelic love is based on fundamental principles of respect, honesty, trust, and forgiveness- all of which are things that Aziraphale liked to believe existed in his relationship with Crowley- but human love goes beyond generic definitions. It burrows deeper into the heart, and it creates chords that bind us to one another. These chords are strong and are difficult to break even across time. Maybe he had been on Earth for much too long and had gone native because Aziraphale felt such a tie to Crowley. It was almost as if they each owned a part of the other. Their chord was tough as iron, and the angel couldn’t imagine what the past six thousand years would’ve been like without him. He would do anything for Crowley, even risk his own life. As much as he hated to admit it, lying there now with the demon next to him, Aziraphale could not deny that this was more than just friendship. 

“Fuck, I’ve fallen for him, haven’t I?” he bit his lip and glanced over at Crowley. 

A panic descended upon him, and his mind began to flood with questions. Did Crowley know? Was he toying with him by suggesting they share a bed? Did he feel the same way? Are demons even capable of such a thing?

He needed some air. Quietly, the angel slipped out of the bed and threw on his jacket. Crowley stirred but remained asleep as Aziraphale made his way out the cottage door and into the garden. The pathway was lit up by a string of lights that were hanging from the branches of cherry trees that lined each side. It was really quite stunning, especially in the nighttime. Aziraphale made his way along the path and sat down on a bench just outside the door to the main house. It was nearly midnight, but he could still see Jillian through the living room window. She was watching telly, but she soon got up to grab a glass of water from the kitchen. That’s when she noticed the figure outside. 

“Aziraphale?” she unlocked the sliding door and joined him on the porch. “What are you doing out here?”

“Hello, Jillian. Oh you know, just trying to clear my mind. The past few days have been a bit stressful.”

“Do you want to talk about it?” She sat down next to him and took his hand. 

The angel sighed, “It’s nothing, really. I’m fine.”

“You sure? You don’t look fine.”

Aziraphale paused. He had known Jillian for nearly thirty years (which is a long time for a human) and in that time he had never once lied to her- not even about his own immortality. However that one kinda just slipped out one day when he was drunk, and she just played it off as a joke. It wasn’t until she started to age herself that she realized he was serious because while her hair turned grey and she began to notice more wrinkles, Aziraphale looked exactly the same. Normally the angel would take precautions to prevent such a realization (wipe her memory for example or remain in contact from a distance via letters or phone calls) but there was something different about her. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it but she was special, and he liked having her around. Man was she nosy though.

“Does it have something to do with that fella you came here with?”

“Excuse me?”

“You and that gent with the glasses. Who is he anyway?”

“Oh Crowley? He’s...uh...he’s an associate of mine- I guess you could say we’re friends.”

“Is he an angel or something?” Jillian lowered her voice to a whisper. 

“Or something...”

“Ok, well what happened? Did you get in a fight?”

“Nothing happened. It has nothing to do with him. Well, it does but it doesn’t. It’s mostly me.”

“What do you mean?”

“If you must know, I’ve been meaning to talk to him about something for awhile, and I haven’t.”

“About what?”

Aziraphale looked away and removed his hand from Jillian’s grip. His palms were getting sweaty. 

“It’s personal.”

“Don’t pull that card on me, mister. I’ve known you for a long time, and you know everything there is to know about me. It’s about time you start talking.”

“It’s complicated.”

“Come on. Whatever it is, I’m not going to say anything to anyone. Who would I even tell? I just want to help.”

The angel said nothing. Jillian narrowed her eyes. 

“Wait a second.”

Aziraphale held his breath.

“You said you two are mates, yes? I’m assuming that means you’re close.”

“Closer than most I suppose given the circumstances,” his heart began to race. “Why?”

“I may not be as old as you are, but I’ve had enough experience in my life to recognize when something is up. So are you two...what I mean to say is…”

“You’re not seriously asking what I think you’re asking, are you?”

“Depends on what you’re thinking.”

“I’m thinking you’ve gone mad. What would compel you to even...”

“Well are you?”

“Am I what?”

“Are you...in love with Crowley? Is that even possible?”

“Good lord, no… I mean it’s not unheard of but me and Crowley? Absolutely not. That’s preposterous,” he stood up. “I don’t want to talk about this anymore.”

“Aziraphale,” Jillian grabbed his arm; her tone was firm. 

“I don’t know what you are expecting me to say.”

“I want you to look at me and tell me the truth.”

“That’s just it though,” his voice cracked, “I don’t know the truth. I’m still trying to sort out my emotions because there are a lot of layers to this whole thing. But it’s not important. I’m perfectly ok.”

“Obviously not. How long have you been holding on to this?”

“Eh I don’t know...six thousand years give or take.”

“You’re kidding, right?”

Aziraphale sighed. She obviously wasn't going to let this go.

“I wish I could say I was,” he mumbled.

“Six thousand? And in all that time you never…”

“Head office would disapprove so no. I just kind of repressed it. But things have changed and now we’re on our own, and it’s starting to come back up again. I’m not sure how to handle it.”

“Just tell him what’s on your mind.” 

“You make it sound easy. I can barely speak to him without words getting caught in my throat. I can’t very well go up to him like ‘hey Crowley, how's it going? Um, I just wanted to tell you that I think I might have feelings for you. Ok bye.’ That’s crazy.” 

“Is it? You won’t know unless you try.”

“But when would I even...”

“Now seems like a pretty good time.”

“What?”

“Isn’t that your friend walking towards us from the cottage?”

Aziraphale froze.

“Oy, angel, what are you doing wandering around the garden in the middle of the night? There’s no apple trees to guard around here,” he smiled that devilish grin of his. “Pardon me. Good evening, ma’am,” he nodded towards Jillian. “I was expecting you to be in bed by now.”

“It is rather late, yes, but I was finishing up my sitcoms when I spotted Aziraphale outside by his lonesome. I figured he could use some company. But you’re right, I should really get some sleep,” she pretended to yawn and gave Aziraphale a nudge for encouragement. “Goodnight boys.”

__________________

“What are you doing up?”

“I felt you get out of the bed. I wasn’t going to do anything initially but you’ve been gone awhile so I wanted to make sure you didn’t get kidnapped again or something,” Crowley shrugged. 

“Oh, not to worry. Just needed some fresh air is all. Bit of a headache but everything’s tickety boo.” 

“You’re lying.”

“I’m sorry?”

“You only ever say ‘tickety boo’ when you’re hiding something. And that aside, I can detect dishonesty a mile away. It’s my job.”

“It’s nothing you need to concern yourself with.”

“Oh really? Because I’ll tell you something about us demons, we have particularly keen hearing.”

Oh shit. Aziraphale bit his lip so hard it drew blood. 

“I didn’t hear everything, but I did catch the bit about you wanting to tell me something.”

“Oh. Well...I was just going to say that I’m happy we’re on good terms now. I don’t know how any of this would play out if we were still angry with each other.”

“Uh huh.”

The angel hesitated before continuing, “and I was going to ask...am I really your best friend, Crowley?”

“What?”

“The pub the other day. When I asked if you had gone to Alpha Centauri, you said things changed because you lost your best friend.”

“I mean that might’ve been a little dramatized. I was drunk after all, and you were technically dead.”

“Oh so you…”

“But I suppose life on Earth would be pretty boring without having you around to ruin my fun.”

“Quite right. We have definitely had some good times...but just to be clear, you did care when you thought I was gone?”

Crowley groaned. 

“I may be a demon, but I unfortunately still have a soft spot for a select few individuals. One being a rather annoying angel.”

Aziraphale smiled. His cheeks were officially red now. He quickly turned his back to Crowley and began to head back towards the cottage. 

“Well then. I’m feeling better now so let’s head back inside.”

“Angel, there’s one more thing.”

Aziraphale felt the demon’s hands grab his shoulders and spin him around. Before he could react, their lips met. Crowley’s hand cupped his face, and he found himself melting into it. When they pulled apart a few moments later, he touched his forehead to Crowley’s and tried to hide the pathetic love struck smile that was beginning to form on his face. 

“That was unexpected.”

“Are you actually in love with me, angel?”

There was silence. Aziraphale lifted his head to look Crowley in the eyes (or at least what he could see of them through his shades), his smile fading.

“I should’ve known you were messing with me. Demons hear everything…” he mumbled. 

“Well?”

“I’m not going to dignify that with an answer,” he frowned. 

“Oh come on, angel. I’ve been waiting six thousand years.”

“You have?”

Crowley looked away, slightly embarrassed. Unbeknownst to the angel, he too had been struggling with his emotions for quite some time. He first noticed something was off, oddly enough, the moment they met. He had spotted Aziraphale standing atop the gates of Eden, the sun glimmering off his wings, and a peculiar feeling settled in the pit of his stomach. It was something he had never felt before, not even when he was an angel. It felt wrong, yet he found himself slithering up the wall to meet the figure. The second their eyes locked on to one another, he knew. 

“So you…” Aziraphale’s face softened.

“Don’t make me say it.”

“Well then why do I have to say it?” 

“Because you’re the angel. This sort of thing is your department.”

“But how do I know you aren’t playing me-that this isn’t some sort of sick game? That’s YOUR department.”

“Just...get over here, you idiot,” Crowley grabbed Aziraphale by the waist and pulled him closer for another kiss. “Does that satisfy your inquiries?”

“I don’t know what to say,” Aziraphale’s knees felt like jelly. “All these years, and I had no idea.”

“Really? I always thought I was being painfully obvious. Remember that incident at the church with the Nazi spies?”

Aziraphale thought back. “You saved my books.”

“I knew how much they meant to you, so I couldn’t just let them burn.”

The angel managed a soft smile, although he was still in shock that any of this was happening.

“So what do we do now?” Aziraphale asked.

“I suppose we could sit here in the garden for awhile. It’s a beautiful night.”

“Sounds perfect.”

The two returned to the bench and sat together hand in hand. Aziraphale yawned and rested his head on Crowley’s shoulder. The demon kissed the top of his hair gently. 

“It really is funny how things turn out,” the angel whispered. 

“You know what would make this even better?” Crowley chuckled.

“What?”

“Some of Jillian’s famous crepes.”

“Crowley, it’s the middle of the night. And she’s probably sleeping now.”

“Actually she’s in the kitchen. She pretended to walk to the bedroom, but she came back. She’s not very discrete, I could hear her rattling pans. Obviously she wasn’t anticipating a demon’s hearing either.” 

“That woman is relentless...” Aziraphale sighed. “Well I suppose we shouldn’t keep her waiting.” He stood up and began to walk towards the door.

“Angel wait.”

Aziraphale paused.

“Yes?” He peered over his shoulder. 

Crowley struggled at first to form the words, but he finally managed, “I love you.”

“I love you too.”


End file.
